by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord! Thanks to everyone who prayed for me, Mike Chon, Cesar Vigil-Ruiz, and John Kim during our trip to Argentina. The time with the church in Tucuman was a tremendous blessing. On Friday evening, we had a time to fellowship with the men of the church over asado, and Pastor John taught on the topic of leadership. On Saturday evening, the entire church came together and I had the opportunity to preach on denying yourself and taking up the cross daily from Luke 9:23. On Sunday morning, we gathered for worship and John preached again on the topic of spiritual maturity. Then on Sunday evening, we had our last church meeting where I preached from Colossians 1 and reconciliation in Christ. Cesar did a tremendous job translating for us.

On Saturday afternoon, we had an opportunity to sit down for lunch with the leadership of the church and field some questions. It was exciting to see how much they have all grown and to hear the kinds of questions they were asking about ministry. It is obvious that they want to build their ministry in a God-glorifying way and to seek how to honor Him with their work. On Monday, the four of us had a chance to talk with Pastor Jorge about various issues concerning our missions philosophy and to map out a general plan for the future.

All in all, it was probably the most profitable time down in Argentina, but it was also the most exhausting. At least twice we were up past 3:00am meeting and preparing. Since most of the church members work late, the meetings generally did not begin until late in the evening. That Friday evening, we did not start eating dinner until about 10:00pm and did not finish the evening meeting until about 1:00am! Still, what an amazing time with IBM Tucuman!

When we arrived back in Buenos Aires, before leaving for home, we were also able to meet up with Eduardo and Matias Buldain. This was also a tremendously encouraging time, and we all felt as though our hearts were knit as one. We are so thankful for our brothers in Christ and are excited about what God has been doing through them in their ministry.

Let us continue to pray for the work in Argentina. It is still very difficult and those committed to the gospel of repentance and faith face great opposition both from outside the church and from within. What we are thankful for are these ministries that are committed to growing in their knowledge of the Word and to serving Christ with all their hearts.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

1. Regional Flocks. Don’t forget that our regularly scheduled weekly meetings will be on hold this week due to flocks, which meet on March 30-April 2 at various homes throughout the community. More information about flocks can be found on the church website. If you do not currently attend a flock and don’t know which one to attend, please contact Peter Lim (peterlim@yahoo.com).
2. Men’s Breakfast. This Saturday, April 2, at 7:00am, we will be having a men’s breakfast fellowship at the church. Come out as we discuss what it means to be a man of God and enjoy a time of prayer together. Food and drinks will be provided. Please email Pastor Patrick if you plan on attending so we can prepare adequately for the morning.
3. Communion. As this weekend is the first Sunday of the month we will be taking communion together during the worship service. Please come with your hearts prepared for this time.
4. End Times Bible Study. Part three of our four part end times Bible study will be this Sunday evening from 6:00-8:00pm at the church. This weekend, we will be focusing on a biblical understanding of the tribulation. We will specifically address why the seven year tribulation should be understood literally and why we teach that the rapture will occur before the tribulation. The last Bible study of the series will be on Sunday, April 17.
5. Premarital. For those involved in the premarital class, we will meet again this Tuesday evening at 7:30pm at Pastor Patrick’s home. Please come with your homework completed and discussed.
6. Members Meeting. Our next members meeting will be on Sunday, April 10 at 4:45pm. All members are encouraged to attend. As always, dinner will be provided.
7. Good Friday Service. On Friday, April 22, we will not be meeting in our regular Friday night Bible studies. Instead, we will have a joint service at the church to observe Good Friday. Service will begin at 6:30pm.
8. Resurrection Sunday. On Sunday, April 24, we will be celebrating Resurrection Sunday with a special breakfast fellowship at 7:30am. Service will begin at 9:00am as usual. This is a great opportunity to invite family and friends to church to hear the message of the gospel.
9. LBC Banquet. The annual All-Church Banquet will be on Sunday, May 22, at 4:45pm, at the church. The cost for tickets is only $35/adult (children 0-12 are free)! This is a wonderful time to reflect on the Lord’s kindness this past year to the church. Please mark your calendars!
10. Vacation Bible School. VBS will be from June 20-24 this year, from 9:00am-5:00pm each day. Please mark your calendars! You can talk to Josh Liu or Abram Kim for more details or for registration. Also, VBS staff applications are available from Josh Liu.
11. Argentina Missions Trip. This year’s Argentina Missions trip is tentatively scheduled for July 6-21. Each year we go to Tucuman, to work alongside Iglesia Biblica Misionera (Missionary Bible Church) for a weeklong evangelistic campaign. We will also be providing biblical training and teaching for the church in general and specialized meetings. For those who are interested in applying for the Argentina trip, applications will be available this Sunday, April 3 (due April 17). All applicants must have been members of Lighthouse in good standing for at least one year. You must also have a valid US passport that is good through at least November 2011. Whether or not you will be going to Argentina this summer, please prayerfully consider how you can help support the work we are doing down there.